Chapter 765: Chapter 765: 766: Is it Difficult to Accumulate Merit?

“These matters are entirely up to them themselves. If one day your Sect Disciples should happen to meet my unworthy sons in the arena, I do hope you will be able to show some mercy.”

Yan Nian said with a smile. As the emperor of the Great Flame Dynasty, he of course knew what these cultivators were thinking.

“Your Majesty jests. Each of the Princely Heirs of the Great Flame Dynasty possesses unique skills; whereas, our Sect Disciples are the ones who seriously trouble us to no end, with their Merit Values neither high nor low, and their Sin Values untouched—afraid even to touch them. Should their measures be taken, I fear not a single one would pass even the first trial, which really is cause for concern!”

The cultivators from the sects spoke slowly. The trials of the Sword Sect were established to recruit Sect Disciples, and each year, these disciples affiliated with the sects of the vassal dynasties to the Sword Sect sharpened their heads trying to get in, to no avail. Unfortunately, the spots are extremely limited, and most of the time they return in disappointment.

If any of the Sect Disciples could pass the Inner Sect Disciple’s assessment and rise directly into the Inner Sect, then the status of their families and forces would surely rise with the tide.

“Speaking of this Merit Value, I’ve heard that the disciples of all families have delved deep into the way of scriptures. Well, since today is the old gentleman’s birthday banquet, why not have the younger generation demonstrate their Merit Values?”

An elder from the Sword Dynasty chimed in, as he had long wanted to test the strength of the disciples from the Great Flame Dynasty.

He came today for two things: one was to find out the whereabouts of the talented Earth Spirit Realm geniuses whom King Weiwu had brought back a few days ago, and the second was to gauge the cultivation levels of the disciples of the Great Flame Dynasty now, so he could know what to expect.

Of course, the other families entertained similar thoughts.

“Hmm?”

“An elder from the Sword Dynasty wants to see your Merit cultivation, what do you think?”

The Grand Emperor raised an eyebrow, seemingly having anticipated this event. He turned to the group of Princely Heirs and asked.

“To exchange and learn from the talented youths of all races is indeed a fortunate thing. If we can take this opportunity today to foster mutual improvement and gain insights, it would also make for a splendid tale.”

The Crown Prince stood up and spoke respectfully.

Speaking of Merit Value, who among those present wasn’t reciting scriptures daily? There was truly nothing to fear.

“Indeed, I too would like to witness the Merit of the disciples from all the major powers and expand my horizons.”

The Princely Heirs nodded in agreement that there was no problem and each began quietly circulating their Cultivation Techniques. In an instant, the great hall was a dazzling field of golden light.

With a uniform three-digit range, the lowest was at a hundred points of Merit, and leading them, the Crown Prince himself reached an astonishing two hundred and fifty-two points of Merit Value, stimulating everyone’s eyes and hearts.

By comparison, the disciples of the various Great Sects and dynasties that came this time paled significantly; they were not the strongest in their sects, but rather the more outstanding disciples. On top of each person’s head were mostly two-digit numbers, with only a very few breaking past a hundred—the gap was huge.

“As expected of a Princely Heir, such Merit must come from frequent in-depth study of the scriptures; I admire you greatly. But why doesn’t Prince Zhatian show us his hand? Could it be that he looks down on the disciples of my lineage?”

The elder from the Sword Dynasty praised repeatedly, having formed a rough judgment of the strength of the Princely Heirs of the Great Flame Dynasty in his heart. The strength of the dynasty’s Princely Heirs was equivalent to the upper echelons among Sect Disciples; by seeing them, he could estimate the level of strength of the capable disciples of the Great Flame Dynasty, which was truly extraordinary.

However, his gaze then inadvertently shifted towards Li Xiaobai, this Princely Heir who had become an overnight sensation. He wondered if he would present some astonishing deed?

“Younger brother eighteen, the elder is assessing your cultivation. Do not be rude; promptly display your Merit.”

The Crown Prince said in a gentle tone, which though warm, carried an undeniable air of authority.

“Your Excellencies may not be aware, but this son of mine has always been disinterested in scriptures. If you wish to see his Merit Value, I’m afraid you are going to be disappointed.”

The Emperor explained with a smile, his feeling of displeasure stirred up once more. It seemed that someone was looking forward to the downfall of the Great Flame Dynasty today!

“Hahaha, is this really the extent of the disciples from the Great Flame Dynasty? Without even a merit value, how can you have the face to stand here? You’re called Yan Zhaotian, right? Don’t bring shame upon your family, stand up like a man!”

A disciple said in a deep voice, full of anger. He coldly stated that he was among the visiting Sect Disciples with the highest merit value, a total of a hundred eighty points. This number had already surpassed many of the Princely Heirs.

“Indeed, we all wish to know what astonishing strength Prince Zhatian, who could offer Hellfire as a gift, possesses!”

“Stop hiding and hoarding, let us widen our horizons, shall we?”

The rest of the cultivators echoed the sentiment. No one orchestrated this; it was a battle among the younger generation and a defense of the Great Flame Dynasty’s honor. Whether they would show their prowess or lose face today all depended on this moment.

“Since you won’t believe that I have no merit value, so be it. Since you all ask so sincerely, I shall let you widen your horizons!”

Li Xiaobai glanced at them, his expression indifferent. In the void, a red flash unlike golden flashes appeared, and a string of neat, bloody characters lined up above his head, a sinister 6200.

“This…”

“That’s a Sin Value!”

“Good heavens, 6200? How has he not been apprehended by the Enforcement Team yet?”

The cultivators were all dumbfounded. It was like a pack of wolves in sheep’s clothing with an actual wolf among them not bothering to disguise itself. Everyone understood what was happening, but such blatant disregard for concealment had never been witnessed before. To be strolling down the street with such a high Sin Value, wasn’t he afraid of getting into trouble?

This wasn’t merit; this was sin. Ordinary cultivators have only ten to twenty Merit Value, but this person’s Sin Value reached a staggering 6200, indicating he must have killed dozens of disciples at least.

“Looks good, doesn’t it? Your number doesn’t even come close to being a fraction of my Sin Value. What do you have to be so arrogant about?”

Li Xiaobai shook his head and spoke indifferently as the bloody characters in the void slowly dissipated, causing the complexions of the disciples present to look quite unsightly.

“Nonsense! You’ve clearly fallen into the Demon Path, killing who knows how many outside to accumulate such towering sins. You think killing increases your value, but you have no idea how difficult it is to accumulate merit!”

“Do you know what cultivators like us have paid to gain merit value?”

“How dare a demon like you speak so shamelessly before us? Once this is over, I must ask the Enforcement Team to hunt down a demon head like you!”

The earlier disciple’s face was filled with agitation. To think that among them was a demon head. Usually, they would kill too but would find all kinds of ways to cleanse themselves of the sin. Killing an immeasurable number of people and seemingly proud of their Sin Value?

Today, the Great Flame Dynasty might lose its reputation!

As soon as he said this, not only the cultivators from various powerful factions but also the Princely Heirs and the Emperor seemed to wear a difficult expression. After all, this was a Righteous Sect, and none would tolerate their disciples indiscriminately killing the innocent, or else how would they differ from the Demon Path?

But at that moment, Li Xiaobai seemed to hear something amusing and nudged the lazy Ergouzi next to him.

“Is accumulating merit value very difficult?”

“I had no idea. Ergouzi, show this frog in a well just how easy it is to accumulate merit value!”